Lever return mechanism using magnets
AssigneeSchlage Lock Company LLC
InventorsSaagar Mohammed, Allen Mani, Aditya Hebilkar, Abdul Khadar Jailani Mannanayak, Vijayakumar Mani
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Abstract
A lever apparatus having a lever connected to a latch assembly operable to open the latch when rotated to a second position from a first position under an actuation torque. The apparatus further includes a magnet assembly with first and second magnets operably coupled to the lever apparatus. The magnet assembly is operable to generate a return torque in an opposite direction to that of the actuation torque such that the lever is returned to the first position after the actuation torque is removed from the lever.
Claims18
A handle assembly, comprising:
- a rotatable handle;
- a first magnet coupled to a structure;
- and
- a second magnet coupled to the rotatable handle such that, in response to rotation of the rotatable handle from a home position, the second magnet is operable to move toward or away from the first magnet;
- and
- wherein the first magnet and the second magnet generate magnetic forces that interact to generate a return torque in response to rotation of the rotatable handle from the home position.
A handle assembly, comprising:
- a rotatable handle;
- a first magnetic means coupled to a structure for providing a first magnetic field;
- and
- a second magnetic means coupled to the rotatable handle for providing a second magnetic field;
- and
- wherein the second magnetic means, in response to rotation of the rotatable handle from a home position, is movable toward or away from the first magnetic means, such that the first and second magnetic fields interact to generate a return torque in response to rotation of the rotatable handle from the home position.
A method, comprising:
- coupling a magnet assembly to a handle assembly comprising a rotatable handle, the magnet assembly including a first magnet and a second magnet, wherein the coupling comprises coupling the first magnet to a structure and coupling the second magnet to the rotatable handle;
- generating a magnetic force between the first magnet and the second magnet;
- in response to rotation of the handle relative to the structure from a home position toward a second position, moving the second magnet toward or away from the first magnet, thereby varying the magnetic force as a function of a position of the rotatable handle;
- and
- returning the rotatable handle to the home position via the magnetic force.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.